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Food for the Hemenly Wm 



OR 



WORDS OF COUNSEL 



TO BEGINNERS IN 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 

/ ■ 






Follow thou ^Jr."— Jesus. 




PHILADELPHIA : 

LUTHERAN PUBLICATION SOCIETY 

No. 42 North Ninth Street. 






o 






The Library 
of Congress 




y 



:OTON 



Copyright, 1885. 



LUTHERAN PUBLICATION SOCIETY. 



PREFACE. 

From the Ten Commandments, as given and 
explained in Luther's Smaller Catechism, you have 
been taught the whole sum of human duty, namely, 
love to God and love to man. To enable you to 
bear this good fruit you must first make the tree 
good. In order to do this, you will need the 
grace of God through faith in Christ Jesus. By 
what means to obtain this grace you have also 
learned from the other three parts of your Cate- 
chism. You thus possess a knowledge of all truth 
essential to life and salvation. 

But, you possess this saving knowledge as yet 
only in brief, compendious outline. To fill this 
out will be your work from this time forward. You 
want to learn yet more minutely and distinctly 
what God requires of you, and what through his 
grace he will do for you. To this end you will 
need to engage in a life long study of God's Word. 
To direct and encourage you in this blessed work, 
is the object of the following address to young 
Christians. That you may read it carefully and 
devoutly, is the desire, counsel, and prayer of 

Your Pastor. 



I PETER ii. 2. 

" As new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, 
thai ye may grow thereby." 






FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY, 



We have somewhere read of a ship that had 
been disabled on the ocean far away from land. 
When the vessel was at last found, all on board 
appeared to have perished. Their bodies had 
wasted away to mere skeletons. Upon examina- 
tion however, it proved that one of these human 
frames gave some feeble signs of life. The body 
was removed and taken in charge by the men of 
the vessel that had found the wrecked ship. Light 
food in small quantities was given to it. The indi- 
cations of life multiplied and became more decided. 
Under skillful treatment and by means of proper 
diet judiciously administered, what had been a mere 
skeleton and had been taken for a corpse at first, 
assumed flesh and form again, and in due time be- 
came a complete, living human body full of grace 
and energy. But what made this man to differ 
from his unfortunate companions ? Why were they 
not also taken in hand and restored to health and 
vigor again ? To all outward appearance he and 
they were alike. They had the same bodily parts 

(51 



6 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

and organs that he possessed. Why, then, were they 
not subjected to the same efficient and wise course 
of treatment, and brought back to beauty and 
strength ? Ah, there, was one point of difference 
upon which everything depended. In the case of 
the one man there was a little spark of life left, 
though so feeble as to be scarcely perceptible. This 
was nursed andfed into a flame again. In the case 
of all the rest this little spark had become extinct 
altogether; life was entirely gone. Ah, what a 
precious thing, was that feeble remnant of life to the 
one man ! What joy and beauty and vigor came 
out of it ! 

From this illustration learn the necessity, the 
value, the promise of the spiritual life, even though 
it be but that of a babe in Christ. If there be real, 
genuine life in the soul even though in its feeblest 
beginning, then there is everything to hope for. 
Where there is life there is capacity for the reception 
of food, and where this is there will be growth, and 
by and by full Christian manhood. Without this 
new life however you are a spiritual corpse, and all 
the means of grace in the kingdom of heaven can- 
not feed you into a growing living being, much less 
bring you unto the measure of the stature of the 
fulness of Christ. You must have spiritual life to 
begin with ; be born again not of blood, nor of the 
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 
The step you have taken in coming into the Church 
of Christ, the promises you have made to renounce 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. J 

the flesh, the world, and the devil, all imply and 
pre-suppose the new and heavenly life. But there 
is possibility of deception and we exhort you, there- 
fore, to examine yourself anew whether you be in 
the faith. And, if you find, as we fondly hope you 
may, that by the power of the Holy Ghost you have 
become a new creature in Christ Jesus, then cherish, 
nourish, develop the precious life you have received. 
In the words of the text, "as new-born babes, de- 
sire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may 
grow thereby." 

GROWTH IN THE NEW LIFE. 

In the development of the passage chosen as the 
basis of our exhortation to you, let us consider the 
end that is set before you in the text, namely growth 
in the new life which God has given you, and the 
means suggested for the accomplishment of this 
end. 

And first let us notice that the object that is 
placed before you as a child of God is the increase 
and further development of the divine life begun 
within you. You are not to remain a babe forever, 
but to become a full grown man or woman in Christ 
Jesus. And be it remembered that this is the de- 
sire and expressed will of your Father in heaven. 
He who is himself the giver of this life in its first 
feeble beginnings is the one who makes it your 
duty to cherish and nourish this heavenly gift that 
it may in due time attain to perfection. 



8 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

"No one," says Pulsford, "becomes a beginner 
in anything for the sake of being a beginner, but 
for the sake of being a master or proficient. The 
beginner therefore in due time leaves the first prin- 
ciples of his profession or trade and goes on to the 
higher branches." Thus also does our Heavenly 
Father, through his inspired apostles, direct us to 
leave the first principles of the doctrine of Christ 
and go on to perfection, to the condition in which 
we shall as full-grown men be able to endure the 
solid food of God's word. We are admonished to 
grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Apostles, prophets,, evangelists, pas- 
tors and teachers, are given by our ascending Lord 
for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all 
come unto a perfect man, being no more children 
tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind 
of doctrine. 

Be not influenced to neglect these plain and 
emphatic injunctions of Scripture by the indiffer- 
ence to spiritual growth that is only too common 
in all the churches. Not the example of men 
but the word of the Lord, must be your standard in 
this matter. It is unfortunately too true, as Puls- 
ford says, that "in religion the highest and noblest 
of all callings, nothing is commoner than for disci- 
ples never to be anything but beginners. They 
begin very^properly with the a, b, c, of Christianity, 
but strange to say, nine-tenths of them stick there 
and never get out of the alphabet class." Deter- 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 9 

mine that you will get beyond this class, that you 
will not remain a babe forever, but will hasten to 
make of yourself a perfect man, thoroughly fur- 
nished unto all good works. 

Being satisfied that growth in the new life is 
a Christian obligation, let us inquire what is involved 
in this command. In other words, what is meant 
by growing in this case, and what is it that is to 
grow. 

Growth, as applied to spiritual things, does not 
consist in increase of size, but in that of activity and 
power. Thus the mind grows when it increases in 
intellectual strength. 

But to answer more in detail, the growing spoken 
of in the text means increased power in the inward 
principle or source of spiritual life ; not merely in 
some one faculty or organ of that life, but in that 
hidden centre of our being which imparts vitality 
to all our faculties. Thus the Saviour says : " I am 
come that they might have life, and that they might 
have it more abundantly;" and St. Paul prays 
" that the Ephesian Christians may be strength- 
ened with might by his spirit in the inner man." 
What a blessed fact that the central spring of our 
Christian life, which supplies all the energy re- 
quired for Christian thought, feeling and activity, 
need not be exhausted by the constant drain made 
upon it, but being filled out of the infinite fullness 
of Christ, may flow on from day to day in ever in- 
creasing volume and power! 



IO FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

But this inner principle of life is also to grow in 
another sense ; it is to be developed into all the 
parts or organs that properly belong to it for its 
due outwaid manifestation and for the accomplish- 
ment of its various purposes. As from the life in 
the root there is to be developed the blade, the ear 
and the full corn in the ear, so from the first begin- 
ning of the new life are to be produced all the 
various parts necessary to its completeness. As 
an illustration of what is meant and as a guide in 
the development of your spiritual life, we refer you 
to that remarkable passage of Scripture found in 
2 Peter i : 5-8. Here faith may be regarded as 
the root or first principle of life, which contains in 
itself the germ of all the other virtues mentioned. 
Out of this faith all the rest are to be evolved un- 
til all the parts of the new man are completed. 
Growing, therefore, means exactly what St. Peter 
commands when he enjoins that to our faith be 
added virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, 
godliness, brotherly kindness and charity. That 
we may know as definitely as possible what graces 
must grow out of our faith, a brief explanation of 
the terms used by the apostle may not be out of 
place. 

Virtue here means moral efficiency, valor and 
habit in right- doing. Knowledge \ includes, besides 
its own usual meaning," the meaning of practical 
wisdom, or as some one has well expressed it, 
"the perception of that which the Christian has to 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. II 

do in every relation of life and how he has to do 
it." Temperance is self-control in regard to the 
pleasures and enjoyments of life. Patience is self- 
control in regard to the vexations and trials of life. 
Godliness is love, reverence, and obedience to God. 
Brotherly -kindness is love to Christians. Charity 
is love to all men. Any one who adds all these 
things to his faith need not fear that he will be want- 
ing in any one organ of the spiritual life. He will 
be a complete man as to parts. 

The new life having formed all the organs that 
properly belong to it, there may be growth in each 
one of these. In fact the same apostle directs that 
these things are not merely to be in them but they 
are to abound more and more. Every one of the 
virtues named in the list is to grow constantly, ever 
increasing in activity and power. What a combi- 
nation of manly elements ! Faith, that overcomes 
the world, a tremendous energy in itself; courage 
and promptness to execute, with wisdom in plan- 
ning ; self-mastery that is not enervated by indul- 
gence, nor discouraged by hardship ; and all these 
supplemented by love, the most powerful spring of 
action in human nature. What a character, and 
what power, when these mighty forces are all found 
in a man and are continually increasing in him ! 
Such a man will never be idle nor unfruitful but 
will abound to every good work. 

THE MEANS OF GROWTH. 

Knowing now what the object is that you are to 



12 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

aim at, let us next inquire how that object is to be 
accomplished. What must you do in order that 
you may grow in the life now begun within you ? 
The answer is given in the text : " desire the sincere 
milk of the word." This is confirmed by what is 
written in the 5th chapter of Hebrews in which the 
doctrines of the oracles of God are compared to 
milk and solid food, the comparison clearly imply- 
ing that the truths of the Bible are the proper nour- 
ishment of the spiritual life from infancy to man- 
hood. The Word of God, then, is the means 
whereby growth in the divine life is secured. The 
various forms and the frame of mind in which 
this is to be received we purpose to set forth. 

But before proceeding to this it may be well to 
inquire what relation the Word of God as spiritual 
food holds to other means of maintaining and pro- 
moting the new life in the heart. Christ calls him- 
self the bread from heaven of which a man must 
eat in order that he may live. St. Paul speaks of 
a life which he lives by faith. The explanation of 
these seemingly conflicting declarations is con- 
tained in the following statement. Christ is in the 
strict sense of the word the only true food of the 
spiritual life, and he is received only by faith, and 
faith is wrought through the Word of God by the 
Holy Spirit. 

That Christ is the proper food of the soul is the 
plain and emphatic teaching of the Holy Scriptures. 
He is the way, the truth, and the life ; the living 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 1 3 

bread which cometh down from heaven ; apart 
from him no one can bear fruit ; whosoever abideth 
not in him is cast forth as a branch and is withered. 
" He that hath not the Son of God hath not life." 
He is to the Christian life what the oil, in the vision 
of the golden candlestick in the 4th chapter ot 
Zechariah, is to the burning of the lamps. He is 
the water in the well of Samaria of which if a man 
drink he shall never more thirst. Christ alone has 
the words of eternal life ; there is none other to 
whom you can go. Says Strutt : "Any attempt to 
grow up into Christian manhood without Christ 
must result in sterility and disappointment." 
Westcott writes: "By the impartment of himself, 
his living self, Christ sustains the living man." 
Christ therefore is the true food of the soul; "his 
flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drink indeed." 
Again it is only by faith that Christ can be re- 
ceived into the soul. "He that believeth not the 
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth 
on him." Christ dwells in the heart by faith. " In 
the reception of Christ faith is the appropriating in- 
strument" (Meyer). " Faith is God's point of con- 
tact with the soul" (Pulsford). Faith, accordingly, 
is the organ of the spiritual life by means of which 
you receive the food essential to its support. By 
faith you appropriate the life-elements that are in 
Christ, and convert them into spiritual blood, fibre 
and muscle. Without faith you receive nothing of 
the Lord, however much you may read or hear 



14 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

about him, or however often you may call upon 
him in prayer or come to him at his own table. The 
life you now live you live by the faith of the Son 
of God. 

And not only is it true that you can receive Christ 
only by faith, but you receive much or little of him 
according as your faith is strong or weak. Christ 
stands at the door of your heart and will enter in 
fully and richly in proportion as by faith, the door 
is thrown open more or less widely. "Open thy 
mouth wide, and I will fill it." Strutt regards 
Christian experience as the result of Christ multi- 
plied by faith, and as Christ is unchangeable, the 
product will be proportioned to the strength and 
activity of faith. Garbett says : " Faith is the meas- 
ure of God's gifts to us. The gifts are proportioned 
to our fitness and power to receive them. There 
are partial gifts for partial faith ; fuller gifts for fuller 
faith. The measure in which the sun streams into 
a chamber, depends on the degree in which all the 
impediments are removed from its entrance. The 
limit is not in the glorious orb but in that which re- 
ceives it. It will enter in wherever it can, though it 
be but a broken chink. Throw wide open the shut- 
ters and it will stream in till every object becomes 
beautiful in its rays. The parted lips of the babe 
may sip the honey of the promises, but the open 
mouth of the man alone can drink in all the precious 
draught." 

From the foregoing declarations, then, it is clear 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. I 5 

that you live by faith in Christ, and that your life 
is feeble or energetic according as your faith is 
great or small. It is, therefore, a matter of vital 
importance that you maintain the faith you already 
have, and that you increase the same day by day. 
Determine, therefore, not to neglect your faith. 
Cultivate it with the greatest diligence and to the 
utmost extent. 

Now this faith through which alone you can ap- 
propriate the life of Christ, is wrought in you by 
means of the Word of God. 

Says St. John: "These things are written that 
ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son 
of God, and believing might have life through his 
name." "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing 
by the Word of God." Christ to be believed on in 
the world must be known in his true character as 
a merciful Redeemer. It is by his being lifted up 
that he will draw all men to himself. This knowl- 
edge of Christ is derived from the sacred record. 
The whole Bible is a witness for Christ, and this 
testimony, already prepared, the Holy Spirit uses 
to exhibit and glorify the Saviour, that men may 
believe on him and come to him for salvation. In 
the lofty ceiling of a palace in Rome there is an 
elegant fresco by Guido, the Aurora. On account 
of its height and position it could not be seen with 
distinctness nor without discomfort. The owner of 
the palace, consequently, placed a broad mirror 
near the floor so related to the painting overhead 



I 6 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

that you can sit down before it as at a table and 
look into it at your ease and leisure and enjoy the 
fine fresco in the ceiling above you. This mirror 
represents the Bible. You look into it and you 
see the face of your Lord and the glories of the 
upper world. The Word of God is the revelation 
of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind. 

The Word of God, therefore, holds an important 
place in the economy of grace and in whatever 
form received is productive of faith. Now this tes- 
timony for Christ may be given through the read- 
ing of the Bible, the hearing of the preached word, 
or by means of the Sacraments. These all work 
faith in us and therefore are instruments whereby 
we are brought into union with Christ. They are 
the pipes that pour the oil of grace into the heart 
of the believer. The well of salvation is deep but 
by the help of these vessels we draw the water of 
life and drink nevermore to thirst. Set a high 
value therefore upon all the means of grace ; use 
them with diligence for they are indispensable to 
you. But do not commit the folly of putting them 
into the place of Christ. Take away the living 
branches from the golden candlestick and the 
pipes become mere empty channels and the lamps, 
cut orT from their source of supply, go out in dark- 
ness. Dry up the fountain of living waters and 
your pitcher returns an empty vessel and a bitter 
disappointment. The clearest representations of 
the graciousness of our Lord cannot become a sub- 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 1 7 

stitute for the reception of him. Nothing short of 
eating the Bread of Life will nourish the soul. The 
Saviour himself complains of the Jews, because, 
though they had the Scriptures and though these 
testified of him, yet they would not come to him 
that they might have life. Be not guilty of the 
same folly. Remember that all the means of 
grace are given to bring you to Christ and Christ 
to you, and that you are employing them aright 
only when through them you become partakers of 
Christ by faith. '■ Union with Christ is the end of 
all means." 

From the foregoing consideration, then, it ap- 
pears that Christ is the soul's true food ; that faith 
is the organ or power by which the soul is enabled 
to receive him — and that the Word of God in its 
several forms is the means by which faith is begun, 
maintained and increased. The Word of God is 
therefore very properly regarded and spoken of as 
milk and meat for the inner man and it follows 
that the more fully you receive the same into 
your heart, the stronger will be your faith and 
the more rapid your growth toward the stature of 
manhood in Christ. Aim then at the most com- 
prehensive and thorough knowledge of the entire 
Word of God. And in the hope of aiding you in 
the accomplishing of this noble purpose, the follow- 
ing suggestions are offered in respect to the use to 
be made of the Bible : 



1 8 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY, 

READING OF THE WORD. 

Read it. Read the whole of it — not the New 
Testament only, but the Old also ; nor portions 
merely of either the one Or the other, but all the 
books in the whole Bible. Do not give way to any 
notions that tend to undervalue the Old Testament. 
Do not take up with the idea that it either is not a 
portion of God's Word, or that, having had its day 
and served its purpose, it has been superseded by 
the later and fuller revelation of the New. Do not 
despise it either as though it were a mode of com- 
municating truth suited only to children or to a 
rude and ignorant age or nation. Such is not the 
fact. On the contrary, by virtue of its figurative 
language and poetic diction it is better adapted for 
the purpose to be served by it than any other possi- 
ble mode of presentation, and the time will never 
come in this world when it may be cast aside as 
worn out or behind the age. Says Isaac Taylor : 
" The Old Testament is a book well adapted to the 
use of all men, in all times, and under all conditions 
of advancement." Yea, more, as being the founda- 
tion upon which the structure of the New Testa- 
ment was reared, we must study it in order to the 
proper understanding and appreciation of the reve- 
lation made by Christ. Or as Dr. Cuyler has 
beautifully expressed it: "The Old Testament is 
the vestibule through which we enter the matchless 
Parthenon of the New." "All through the Old 
Testament, " says another writer, " the voice and 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 1 9 

footfall of a coming Saviour are to be heard." And 
Christ himself declares : " Moses wrote of me." 
Honor the whole Bible then. Get the benefit of 
the entire Word of God. ' 'All scripture is profitable. ' ' 
Says Luther: "For many years 1 have read the 
Bible twice a year. It is a great and mighty tree, 
each word of which is a branch. I have shaken 
them all, so curious was I to know what each branch 
bore, and every time I have shaken off a couple of 
pears and apples." 

Read the Bible much. Devote all the time to it 
you can spare. Read it every day. Read it at fixed 
times. Continue to read it as long as you live. 
Never lay it aside as a finished book. Said Sir 
Walter Scott : " The most learned, acute and dili- 
gent student cannot in the longest life obtain an en- 
tire knowledge of this one volume. The more deeply 
he works the mine, the richer and more abundant 
he finds the ore." Patrick Henry regarded it as a 
misfortune that he did not earlier in life find time 
to read with proper attention and feeling the book 
which he regarded as " worth more than all the 
other books which ever were printed." 

Read consecutively. That is, instead of reading 
now here and now there as chance may direct, 
read right on, chapter after chapter, in the order in 
which they stand in the Bible, till a whole book is 
finished. One part of the Word of God depends 
so much upon another that it is impossible to get 
a clear and adequate knowledge of any book in it 



20 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

when it is read in the fragmentary, disjointed method 
too common among Bible readers. Says Dr. 
Cuyler : " The Bible is as thoroughly connected and 
consecutive a work as Bunyan's Pilgrim or Ban- 
croft's History. The whole composition hangs 
together like a fleece of wool. 

Read continuously and much at a time. That 
is, continue to read without stopping until you have 
finished a section or even a whole book. The 
advantage of such a course is, that thus you see the 
proper relation of the different parts to one another 
and get the impression of the book as a whole. 
To observe for yourselves the advantage of this 
manner of reading take up the account of our 
Saviour's interview with his disciples shortly before 
his arrest and read the whole of it without stopping 
from the 13th chapter of St. John to the end of the 
17th. "No one," says Dunn, "who has not made 
the experiment can imagine what a flood of light 
falls upon a Pauline Epistle when it is read through 
at one sitting with quickened attention to its scope 
and purpose." This method of reading, of course, 
is not convenient at all times ; but whenever there 
is sufficient leisure for it, it should be practiced. 

Read carefully. Do not read merely to go over 
a certain amount of ground, but to find out what 
the Bible says. Read in such a way that when 
you have ended you can tell what you have read. 
Mr. Moody says, he used to read so many chap- 
ters a day, but that if any one had asked him two 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 21 

hours afterwards what he had read he could not 
have told him. He compares this kind of reading 
to the manner in which he used to hoe turnips 
when he was a boy. He says he did the work so 
badly that he had to put a stick into the ground in 
the evening to show him next morning where he 
had left off. This way of dealing with a turnip 
patch is an apt illustration of the manner in which 
a great many persons deal with their Bibles. In 
place of this we suggest that you read the Word of 
God in the careful manner in which Edward White 
recommends that such master-pieces of literature 
as Paradise Lost, or Bacon's Essays, should be 
read, " deliberately, line byline, with the endeavor 
to obtain, as from a steel die, a vivid impression of 
each image, to affix a clear meaning to every 
word employed, to comprehend each argument, to 
receive an inspiration from every glow of sentiment 
or gleam of beauty. Let the mind like the sun- 
beam dwell on each sentence, until like a flower it 
unfolds its beauties and its fragrance." 

STUDY OF THE WORD. 

The object you aim at is to find out the meaning 
of God's Word. Much of this you get by the mode 
of proceeding before recommended. By it you 
obtain a general idea of the Bible and become 
familiar with the sense in which its peculiar terms 
are employed. All this is of great advantage and 
can be enjoyed in no other way. Yet the Bible 
must be studied as well as read. Smaller portions 



22 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WWV.Y. 

must be taken in hand and made the subject of 
careful and thorough investigation. Every word, 
sentence and paragraph must be duly considered, 
in itself and in its relation to what precedes and 
what follows. By the aid of the imagination the 
persons, places and events spoken of in the pass- 
age must be called up distinctly before the mind. 
In the metaphors, types or parables we must from 
the sign find out the thing signified. There is an 
idea in every part of God's Word, and when that 
idea does not at once come to view in the reading 
we must seek after it till it be found. There are 
many portions of the Bible that admit of and re- 
quire this close application of the mind ; that will 
not in fact yield up their precious secrets until 
forced to do so by severe and persistent mental 
effort. Spare no pains then in getting at the mean- 
ing of everything in God's Word. 

In place of taking up any continuous portion of 
Scripture to be dealt with in this thorough manner, 
it is often of advantage to select some particular 
word or topic, as prayer, love, faith, and see what 
the Word of God says about it in different places. 
It helps to attain a fuller knowledge of any special 
subject in which we may be interested. Mr. Moody 
thinks very highly of this topical method of 
Bible study, and speaks in the strongest terms of 
the beneficial effects thus produced on his own 
Christian life and character. He says : "If you 
would only go from Genesis to Revelation and see 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 23 

all the promises made by God to Abraham, to 
Isaac, and to Jacob, to the Jews and the Gentiles, 
and to all his people everywhere ; if you were to 
spend a month feeding on the precious promises 
of God, you would not be going about with your 
heads hanging down like bulrushes, complaining 
how poor you are ; but you would lift up your 
heads with confidence and proclaim the riches of 
his grace because you could not help it. I remem- 
ber the first time I studied grace, I got so full of it 
that I stopped every man and woman I met and 
told them how God loved them." 

HELPS IN BIBLE STUDY. 

The directions thus far given respecting the 
reading and study of the Scriptures will enable any 
one who faithfully observes them to acquire a very 
satisfactory knowledge of the Bible without any 
other book than the Bible. 

Nevertheless it is a fact that in order to the full- 
est understanding and appreciation of the Bible 
we all stand in need of help from more experienced 
and better informed minds. As a result of the 
faithful labors of competent students of the Bible 
the Church is richly supplied with helps of all 
kinds for intelligent reading and study of the Holy 
Scriptures. These aids are numerous, varied in 
character and adapted to every age, capacity and 
degree of knowledge and culture. They consist 
of Bible Dictionaries, Concordances and Encyclo- 
paedias, books on the localities, manners and cus- 



24 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

toms of the East, Bible histories, commentaries, 
expository lectures and sermons. Besides these, 
there is much valuable matter published periodi- 
cally in explanation of the Sunday-school lessons. 
These helps though designed for this special pur- 
pose might be very profitably used by all the mem- 
bers of the Church whether in the Sunday-school 
or not. Knowing the advantage of having suitable 
books to aid in the understanding of the Bible we 
would urge you to supply yourself with a good 
Bible Dictionary, Concordance and a superior 
popular Commentary, under all circumstances, and 
if your means justify, equip yourself with the best 
Bible aids the market affords. Money thus applied 
is well invested ; it is money spent for the Bread of 
Life. • 

Our remarks thus far apply to reading that has 
for its direct object the better understanding of the 
Bible. We would yet say a word in behalf of re- 
ligious reading in general; and that not so much in 
favor of its profitableness, for that is acknowledged, 
as to correct a very prevalent notion that religious 
reading is necessarily dull reading. We cannot 
waste words, but we do want to assure you in most 
emphatic terms that religious reading can become 
intensely interesting ; yea that all the satisfaction 
that others find in poring over the pages of fiction, 
can be derived from books written on religious sub- 
jects. And we feel very sure that if young persons 
knew the gratification, increasing with years, that 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 25 

may be had from the kind of reading we are advocat- 
ing, they would never consent to waste their precious 
time in idleness, trifling conversation, or on un- 
profitable books. With all the power in us we say, 
give thyself to religious reading. What Sir John 
Herschel says of reading in general, holds espec- 
ially concerning the kind we are considering: 
" Were I to pray for a taste which should stand me 
in stead under every variety of circumstances, and 
be a source of happiness and cheerfulness to me 
during life, and a shield against its ills, hbwever 
things might go amiss and the world frown upon 
me, it would be a taste for reading. Give a man 
this taste, and the means of gratifying it, and you 
can hardly fail of making him a happy man, unless, 
indeed, you put into his hands a most perverse 
selection of books. ? ' 

god's word in the memory. 
Remember the Word of God. Make the facts and 
doctrines of the Bible your own to such an extent 
that you carry them with you wherever you go, and 
have them at command whenever you have occa- 
sion to use them. The memory is a most import- 
ant faculty of" the mind, and cannot be put to any 
better use than to be made to serve as a store- 
house for the inestimable treasures of God's Word. 
Whoever has his mind richly furnished with the 
truths of the Bible, has food for profitable reflec- 
tion, wisdom for right direction, and motive for 
sustained action, at all times and under all circum- 



26 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

stances. And in thus urging the diligent use of 
the memory in the study of Scripture, we refer to 
the language as well as the thoughts it expresses. 
The idea and the form in God's Word are well 
suited to each other, and no better body can be 
found for the spirit of the Bible than has been given 
to it in the words which the Holy Ghost teacheth. 
It is a great advantage, especially in religious devo- 
tion and instruction, to be able to clothe our ideas 
in the exact language of Scripture. This habit of 
using the memory in the study of the Bible is one 
with whose value we are deeply impressed, and 
it certainly is cause for regret that the indisposition, 
to make the effort necessary to remember the things 
learned from the Word of God, is so general. We 
read of periods in the early history of the Christian 
church, in which it was quite customary to commit 
the whole of the Psalms to memory, and ministers 
particularly were expected to be able to repeat them 
by heart. A certain priest is said to have been re- 
jected from a certain bishopric, " for inability to re- 
cite the Psalms without book." Were this still 
regarded as necessary to the episcopal office, the 
number of bishops would be very much reduced, or 
else the memorizing of God's Word become more 
common. 

DOING THE 'WORD. 

Apply the Word of God in the formation of opin- 
ion. Promptly abandon any view on any subject, 
whatever, that is at variance with the expressed or 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 2J 

implied mind of Scripture. Promptly adopt and 
cherish into ever deepening conviction all the 
judgments of the Bible on all subjects on which it 
has spoken. Make your faith agree with the faith 
of God's Word. 

Apply it in the cultivation of right feelings and 
dispositions. When we think of doing what the 
Bible enjoins, we too often think chiefly, if not ex- 
clusively, of outward action, as if the feelings of the 
heart were not a matter of command and prohibi- 
tion. Such an idea certainly finds no sanction in 
the Holy Scriptures, for they require special atten- 
tion to be given to the state of the heart, knowing 
that out of it are the issues of life, and that good or 
evil things are brought forth in the conduct accord- 
ing as the treasure of the heart is good or evil. 
Make it an object then to bring your affections, as 
well as your faith, into agreement with the Word of 
God ; resist and suppress all feelings that are disap- 
proved by it, and cherish and cultivate all such as 
are commended. Take the Sermon on the Mount, 
for example, and strive to acquire in ever increasing 
degree the dispositions to which it promises the 
blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven. Or take the 
fruits of the spirit enumerated in Galations v. 22-23, 
and labor to produce them in your own daily life. 
Or set to work resolutely to put off the things 
named in Colossians iii. 8-9, and to put on those 
in 12-15 of the same chapter. It would be well to 
commit these passages to memory so as to have 



28 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

them before you continually, to direct and stimulate 
you in the cultivation of a right state of mind. 

And lastly apply the Word of God to the produc- 
tion of right action. There are many things in the 
Bible that are not merely to be believed and loved, 
but they are to be done. You will make a wise and 
true use of God's Word when you adopt it as your 
habitual rule to avoid every thing that the Script- 
ures forbid, and to perform whatever they com- 
mand. Be a doer of the Word and not a hearer 
only. 

This whole matter of using the Word of God in 
the production of right opinion, feeling, and con- 
duct, is one of inexpressible importance ; and the 
course recommended, if faithfully pursued, will re- 
sult in habits and character approved of God and 
honored by man. There are well-known maxims 
of everyday life which, diligently practiced, have 
made many men wise, wealthy, and efficient, and 
we feel very confident that the purpose to become 
doers of the Word of God, honestly adopted and 
conscientiously carried out, would make all men 
wise unto salvation, rich towards God, and work- 
men not needing to be ashamed. " After long 
study and observation," says Alger, " I am forced 
to believe that the most inveterate and universal 
fault of men is the neglect to make direct applica- 
tion to self of every practical lesson learned. Only 
the knowledge which we earnestly obey and fulfill 
in our own character and conduct is glorified in its 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 29 

uses for us and for our asssociates." Adolphe 
Monod relates the following incident which. illus- 
trates in a very forcible manner the blessed effects 
of a faithful, practical use of the Bible : "The 
mother of a family was married to an infidel who 
made jest of religion in the presence of his own 
children, yet she succeeded in bringing them all 
up in the fear of the Lord. I asked her one day 
how she preserved them from the influence of a 
father whose sentiments were so opposed to her 
own. This was her answer: 'Because to the au- 
thority of a father I do not oppose the authority of 
a mother, but that of God. From their earliest 
years my children have always seen the Bible upon 
my table. This holy book has constituted the 
whole of their religious instruction. 1 was silent 
that I might allow it to speak. Did they propose 
a question, did they commit a fault, did they per- 
form a good action, I opened the Bible, and the 
Bible answered, reproved, or encouraged them. 
The constant reading of the Scriptures has wrought 
the prodigy which surprises you.' " Verily it is 
true as St. James says, "Whoso looketh into the 
perfect law of liberty and continueth therein, he 
being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the 
work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." 

PREACHING OF THE W RD. 

Attend the preaching of the Word as God may 
give you opportunity. That the ministry of the 
gospel is also employed as an agency for the pro- 



30 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

duction of faith and the development of the spirit- 
ual life is apparent from the declarations of God's 
Word on the subject. Christ commands his gospel 
to be preached to every creature. St. Paul speaks 
of himself and Apollos as ministers by whom the 
Corinthian Christians believed. And the same 
Apostle asks : " How shall they believe in Him of 
whom they have not heard, and how shall they 
hear without a preacher ?" Among the gifts Christ 
gave to men were apostles, prophets, evangelists, 
pastors, and teachers, for the perfecting of the 
saints, till they all come, in the unity of the faith 
and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a per- 
fect man. In harmony with these Scripture pas- 
sages, the Augsburg Confession teaches that, "For 
the purpose of obtaining this faith God has insti- 
tuted the ministry, and given the gospel and the 
sacraments, through which as means he imparts 
the Holy Spirit, who in his own time and place 
works faith in those that hear the gospel." Says 
another writer : "God makes use of agency in the 
economy of grace, . . . and the gospel ministry 
is the greatest agency that God has employed." 
As the Spirit of God has seen fit then to make use 
of the preaching of the Word in the awakening 
and strengthening of faith, it follows that you must 
avail yourself of this divinely appointed instru- 
mentality if you would make satisfactory progress 
in the spiritual life. And that you may be in a 
condition to derive the greatest amount of good 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 3 1 

from the preaching of the Word, you must form a 
true estimate of its value, be guided by correct 
principles in all your conduct in relation to it, and 
seek a spiritual frame of mind before hearing, as 
well as engage in earnest and serious reflection 
afterwards. 

The value of this form of religious instruction 
will appear from the following considerations : 

Preaching is a mode of teaching the Bible, and 
therefore confers all the blessings that a knowledge 
of the Bible, however imparted, is calculated to 
bestow. 

It communicates many important religious ideas 
that in all probability would not reach the major- 
ity of the hearers from any other source. 

It keeps the subject of religion constantly before 
the public attention, stirring up the minds of men 
by way of remembrance, and setting them to think- 
ing and talking about what they have heard. 

It gives additional interest to the knowledge it 
communicates, thus securing closer attention, and, 
consequently, a better understanding and longer 
recollection of the truth imparted. This interest is 
due to several circumstances : 

And first, to the nature of the sermon itself. The 
unity of idea, the clear statement, the orderly ar- 
rangement, conclusive argument, and apt illustra- 
tion characteristic of true sermons, are all calcu- 
lated to give satisfaction to the mind of the hearer. 

Secondly, to the fact of its oral delivery. The 



32 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

vioce, gesture, expressive countenance of the 
speaker all serve to aid in conveying tb ^ing 

of what is spoken, and of lending attractiveness 
thereunto ; and such a master as Horace tells us 
that he who joins the instructive and the agreeable 
will carry off every vote. 

And lastly, to the accompanying favorable con- 
ditions. The presence of a considerable number 
of persons, the preliminary devotional exercises, 
the hallowed associations of the sanctuary, and the 
sense of God's nearness, all combine to impart im- 
pressiveness to what is heard from the pulpit. 
The Indian preacher understood the value of inter- 
est in hearing, who assured his white audience that 
they would never forget the fact that they had heard 
an Indian preach. . No one who is really in earnest 
to acquire a thorough knowledge of God's will can 
afford to deprive himself of the advantageous state 
of mind produced by the public preaching of the 
Word of the Lord. 

Another feature of special value in preaching is 
the adaptation of truth to the circumstances of the 
hearer that is thereby secured. The age, knowl- 
edge, capacity, and even the peculiar state of mind 
at the time, can all be respected in this mode of 
religious instruction. All the truths of the Bible are 
valuable in any form and under any circumstances ; 
but yet there are times and conditions when one 
truth and one particular form of truth are more ap- 
propriate and useful than all others. "A word fitly 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 33 

spoken Mw good it is." Said a lady to a clergy- 
man, .. J Inquired the cause of her dejection, "Sir, 
your preaching would starve all the Christians in 
the world." " Starve all the Christians in the 
world," said the astonished preacher; "why, do I 
not speak the truth?" "Yes," replied the lady; 
" and so you would were you to stand in the desk 
all day, and say my name is Mary." This lady 
evidently realized that she had spiritual necessities 
that required to be taken into consideration in the 
presentation of Scripture truth. Now this adapta- 
tion of religious instruction to the particular circum- 
stances of the hearers is just the advantage that 
is aimed at, and secured through the preaching of 
the Word by a living ministry chosen, equipped, 
sent forth, and superintended in all their studies 
and labors by the Holy Spirit. By this arrange- 
ment in the economy of grace, the right word is 
spoken at the right time and in the right place ; 
guidance is given to them that are perplexed ; cor- 
rection to them that are out of the way ; encour- 
agement to the depressed ; consolation to them that 
mourn, and warning to those that are in danger. 
" Know them which labor among you and are over 
you in the Lord, and esteem them very highly in 
love for their work's sake." 

Adopt true principles whereby to determine 
when and where to attend the preaching of the 
Word. Now it is most important that all questions 
relating to attendance upon public worship should 



34 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

be decided by fixed principle, and not, as is too 
commonly the case, left to chance, impulse, or 
mere arbitrary will. Except in matters of indiffer- 
ence, all a man's actions ought to be determined 
by some rule previously adopted for the purpose. 
Thus only will his course of conduct be straight- 
forward, consistent and manly. And certainly the 
subject of church attendance is not one that is left 
to every man's own option. Settle upon some 
principle then by which to decide all such ques- 
tions whenever they present themselves. 

And now what is the right principle to apply 
when the point arises, Shall I go to my own church 
to-day or to some other ? The true rule undoubt- 
edly is that you ought to be at your own, as over 
against all others, unless by some providential cir- 
cumstance God has plainly indicated that he wants 
you to do otherwise. Whatever advantage your 
presence gives to a church, you owe to your own 
rather than to any other. In your own church too, 
with all whose objects you are familiar, and to 
whose order of religious service you are accustomed, 
you will be able to worship God with less distraction 
than in one which you do not regularly attend. 
There, too, where your own pastor, who knows you 
and takes you into prayerful consideration, offici- 
ates, you will, as a rule, receive more appropriate an d 
helpful instruction than in any other place. We say 
then go to your own church always, unless for some 
reason it has become your duty to attend another. 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 3$ 

And what has been said, in regard to deciding 
where to go to church on particular occasions, will 
apply also to the other question, whether to go at 
all or to remain at home. The true view is that 
you ought to be at your church as often as it is 
opened for divine service, unless God by his own 
providence prevents you. The Word of God 
makes it the duty of Christians to assemble them- 
selves together, and the regular and lawful action 
of a congregation determines when and how often 
this assembling shall take place. When therefore a 
certain number of services have been agreed upon 
by your church you are brought under obligations 
as a member to attend them all, unless you are 
providentially hindered from so doing. Besides, it 
is your duty in every possible way to promote the 
welfare of the church to which you belong. Your 
presence is an advantage to your church every 
time ; it encourages your pastor, increases the in- 
terest of others in the services, and helps to at- 
tract persons who are not regular attendants. The 
uniform presence of the membership of a Chris- 
tian congregation at all its public services has very 
much to do with the prosperity of any church. 
Let but any considerable portion of a congrega- 
tion be irregular in their attendance, and the ineffi- 
ciency, if not the dissolution of that organization, 
is assured. 

Again, it is to your interest to hear every sermon 
that is preached in your church. You know not 



36 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

what you lose by being away from even a single 
service. Thomas was absent from the little circle 
of disciples on a certain Sunday, and that very 
time, Jesus, the risen Saviour, appeared in their 
midst, showed them his hands and side, and breathed 
peace and the Holy Ghost upon them. The very 
disciple whose faith above all others needed en- 
couragement, was not present. How sad the 
record, "But Thomas was not with them when 
Jesus came." 

Act conscientiously then in relation to attendance 
upon the preaching of the Word of God ; be in your 
place every time your congregation assembles un- 
less the Lord prevents you, and you will both re- 
ceive and accomplish greater good than if you al- 
low yourself to be controlled by accident, the feel- 
ings of the moment, or the arbitrary decisions of 
self-will. 

Qualify yourself by previous preparation and 
by subsequent reflection to derive the greatest 
amount of good from the preaching of the Word. 
To profit by a discourse on any subject, whatever, 
the hearer must be in an appropriate frame of mind. 
The same discourse often has a very different effect 
upon different persons ; yea, upon the same per- 
sons in different circumstances. One for instance 
who longs for the pardon of his sins will listen to a 
sermon on forgiveness with an intense eagerness, 
and every word will be to him as rain upon a 
thirsty land ; whilst another who does not realize 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 37 

the evil of sin, finds the same sermon void of all 
interest and can hardly sit still till it is ended. A 
right state of mind on the part of the hearer, there- 
fore, has a great deal to do with the pleasure and 
profit a sermon will impart. 

Now this necessary frame of mind for the profit- 
able hearing of the Word involves, first, a general 
interest in the object aimed at by the preaching of 
the gospel, as well as in the means whereby that 
object is sought to be accomplished. Whoever does 
not care for the salvation of mankind, is not con- 
cerned for his own spiritual improvement, and has 
not learned to find delight in the law of the Lord, 
is just in the right state ofcmind to be indifferent to 
the whole business of preaching, and to regard and 
pronounce the most effective sermon a piece of 
stupidity and an intolerable infliction. 

Whatever therefore you do to bring your own 
heart to a right state of feeling in regard to the 
work of saving men ; whatever you do to increase 
your desire to know and understand the Scriptures, 
will place you in a condition to derive greater satis- 
faction and benefit from every sermon you are 
privileged to hear. But, besides being in a suit- 
able frame of mind in general, it is necessary also 
to be in a right state on the Sabbath day, and par- 
ticularly before going to the house of God. Like 
St. John, you must be in the Spirit on the Lord's 
day, properly to appreciate the communications 
that are to be made through the Word you hear. 



38 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

Your mind must feel a chief interest^ in the occupa- 
tions of the day of rest, being more inclined to 
the study and contemplation of divine and spirit- 
ual things, than to such as are temporal and 
worldly. If you allow yourself to become inter- 
ested in any subjects not appropriate to the Sab- 
bath day, you thereby unfit yourself for the duties 
of the sanctuary. One subject of real interest ex- 
cludes all others for the time being. That two 
bodies cannot occupy the same space at the same 
time is a law of the mind as well as of matter. 

Again the feelings of the heart before divine ser- 
vice must be such as are in accord with the exer- 
cises of God's house. *\ person in one state of 
mind has feelings that indispose him for any exer- 
cise whatever that requires feelings of an opposite 
character. A parent whose heart is full of grief 
over the loss of a beloved child is not in a condition 
to endure, much less enjoy, the voice of music or 
mirth." The worship of God and the hearing of 
His Word require feelings of earnestness, sober- 
ness, filial gratefulness, and reverential awe ; and 
these are altogether out of keeping with a frivolous, 
worldly state of mind. Light and trifling feelings 
are entirely out of tune with all the services of the 
sanctuary. 

Now this chief interest in spiritual things and 
this serious heavenly frame of mind depend upon 
our being engaged with thoughts of a proper char- 
acter before we go to the house of the Lord. Think- 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 39 

ing on a subject awakens interest in it, and begets 
feelings corresponding to the nature of the thoughts 
indulged in. This fact then suggests and requires 
that, before divine service, we rigidly turn our at- 
tention away from all worldly things ; that we do 
not engage in meditation, conversation or reading, 
that will awaken thoughts not of a religious char- 
acter ; but that we occupy our minds with the 
same general subjects that will claim our attention 
in the house of God. Read the Bible and books 
of devotion ; engage in prayer for the Holy Spirit's 
influence ; and meditate upon heavenly things. 
The result of such preparation will be that when 
you reach the assembly of the saints your mind 
will be in sweet unison with all the services proper 
to public worship. From this it is evident that all 
the employments of the Sabbath day must be of a 
piece ; that we cannot engage in worldly thoughts 
and pursuits during one part of the day, and then 
laying these to a side, give ourselves up to the work 
of prayer, praise and the hearing of the Word. 

Sometimes, the indisposition respecting the hear- 
ing of the gospel arises from physical causes rather 
than mental. Indulgence in eating and drinking 
begets a general sluggishness of body and mind 
that altogether unfits for the duties of the sanctu- 
ary, and inclines much more to plead for a little 
more sleep and a little more slumber than to call 
upon the soul and all that is within it to bless the 
name of the Lord. The Sabbath must not, as is 



40 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

too often the case, be made a day of feasting, but 
should be one of prayer and fasting instead. 

In a discussion respecting the comparative mer- 
its of written and extempore sermons, one of the 
speakers uttered the following sentiments, which, 
as they bear upon the subject of preparation for 
the hearing of God's Word, we will quote. He 
says : " It occurred to me that there might be some- 
thing said, distinctly in connection with the value 
and power of sermons, upon extempore listening. 
I am inclined to think that a great deal of this 
present craving for special vivacity of manner 
arises from the listening of the present day being 
so largely extemporaneous. Did it ever occur to 
you that listening, in order to be worth much, 
needs preparing for as much as speaking, and 
that there are a great many persons who listen 
extempore who never think upon these great top- 
ics, upon which they expect the preacher to speak, 
up to the last moment of entering the church. " 
The paper from which this extract is taken com- 
ments as follows on this same subject : "A good 
deal is said in these days about how to preach. 
In the days of Christ and Paul, what to preach 
seemed of vastly more importance. How to listen, 
what preparation of mind and heart is needful, 
what attitude toward the truth, what appreciation 
of the truth, these are more important questions 
than extempore or written preaching. Take heed 
how ye hear, is a divine injunction ; take heed how 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 41 

ye preach, is a human command. The soil needs 
preparation quite as much as the sower and the 
seed." 

But as there is a work to be done before divine 
service, so likewise there is another of equal im- 
portance to be performed afterwards. While you 
are listening to a discourse your whole attention is 
required to receive into your mind what the speaker 
is presenting to his audience. So rapidly are the 
thoughts of a spoken discourse communicated that 
all one can do is to. catch and secure them as they 
are thrown out. There is no time for any other 
mental process than that of apprehension. And 
yet, to get the fullest measure of benefit from what 
we thus hear, there is a subsequent work to be per- 
formed. The sermon must be gone over again 
after leaving the church, and for the following pur- 
poses : 

You want to recall the facts and doctrines you 
have heard, in order, by this effort, to impress them 
more deeply and lastingly on the memory. Truth, 
to be profitable, must be remembered. 

You want to take up the several ideas of the ser- 
mon and think them over again, in order to get 
their meaning more clearly and fully before the 
mind. 

You want to take up the points advanced by 
the speaker, and ascertain whether they are true, 
by comparing them with the Word of God. 

You want to consider what there is in all that 



42 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

was said that in any way concerns your conduct 
and welfare. 

You want to bring back again and hold up be- 
fore the mind the truths that impressed you in the 
hearing, in order that these impressions may be 
reproduced, deepened, and made abiding. Unless 
this is done their effect will vanish away as doth 
the morning dew before the advance of day. Pur- 
suing a course like this, the benefit you will receive 
from the preaching of the Word of God will be 
increased many times. You hear from fifty to up- 
wards of one hundred sermons yearly on so many 
distinct subjects. In these sermons, many most 
valuable facts and Scripture doctrines are pre- 
sented. These truths, subjected to the process 
herein recommended, would enrich the mind with 
most important thought, serve as constant incen- 
tives to right and noble conduct, and enter perma- 
nently into your Christian character. 

PRAYER FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

In all your reading and hearing of the Word of 
God acknowledge your dependence upon the Holy 
Spirit's aid and pray unceasingly for his presence 
and guidance. This counsel is based upon the 
Scripture truth that the Spirit's work is necessary to 
faith in Jesus Christ. In your Catechism you are 
taught to say, " I believe that I cannot by my own 
reason or other natural powers believe in or come 
to Jesus Christ my Lord ; but that the Holy Ghost 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 43 

has called me by his gospel and enlightened me 
by his gifts." So also does the Augsburg Confes- 
sion teach that it is "the Holy Spirit who in his 
own time and place works faith in those that hear 
the gospel." The Saviour calls the Spirit the 
Spirit of Truth, and assures his disciples that when 
he is come he shall guide them into all truth. St. 
Paul declares with the utmost plainness and em- 
phasis, " that no man can say that Jesus is Lord 
but by the Holy Ghost." This settles the point as 
to the need of the Spirit in order to faith. 

The precise object to be accomplished by the 
Spirit is to qualify us to make a right use of the 
truths made known in the scriptures. It is not to 
furnish us with another revelation, nor to add any- 
thing to what we already have, but simply to en- 
able us to discern and dispose us to receive what 
we learn from the Bible. 

Man by nature is spiritually blind, and in this 
state cannot know the things of the Spirit of God. 
Though all the light and glory of revelation were 
poured upon his sightless eyes, no impression 
would be produced. " It is nothing that the 
heavens are opening above until we know what 
eyes are opened below ; as are the eyes so will be 
the sheen and the glory and the power of the re- 
velation." What* Ch*ist did to his disciples that 
they might understand the scriptures, must be 
done to men everywhere ; and this opening of the 
understanding is the work of the Holy Spirit. 



44 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

But, besides being spiritually blind, man is also 
naturally indifferent to the things taught in the 
Bible; and to many of them positively hostile. 
"This is the condemnation, that light has come 
into the world, but men loved darkness rather than 
light because their deeds were evil." Hence 
something must be done, as in the case of Lydia, 
to cause them to attend to the things spoken of in 
the gospel. This is perhaps the most important 
and necessary part of the Spirit's work in the 
human mind. Man's aversion to the light in God's 
Word has probably more to do with his ignorance 
and rejection of Christ than his inability to see. 
Two celebrated English divines, it is said, sat up 
late into the night upon a certain occasion, discuss- 
ing the question whether the intellect or the heart 
had the more to do with attaining to a knowledge 
of God. A very eminent, learned and able bishop 
advocated the side of the intellect, but was com- 
pelled by the arguments of his friend to retreat step 
by step, from his position till at length, in .the 
spirit of humility and of candor he exclaimed, 
" Then my. whole life has been one grand mistake." 
Sure it is that seeing eyes are not the only thing we 
need ; we must be taught to love the objects that 
meet us in the Word of God, before we will attend 
to them with the care and diligence necessary to 
their proper understanding. And this love for the 
law of the Lord the Spirit produces in the soul — 
" The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by 
the Holy Ghost which is given us." 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAV. 45 

And now, as with eyes opened and hearts favor- 
ably disposed, we turn to the scriptures, how 
changed do we find everything in them ! To 
our surprise new objects meet us on every hand, 
and old ones are seen with greater distinctness and 
appreciation than ever before. The whole Bible 
seems glorified. Its formerly obscure pages now ap- 
pear written in letters of gold; and the entire vol- 
ume, instead of being a firmament covered with 
thick darkness, has been changed into a sky brilliant 
with ten thousand objects of beauty and glory. 
We find too that we not only see things distinctly 
and truly, but that we take pleasure in what we be- 
hold. As one born blind, whose eyes are opened, 
enjoys a continual feast, by day and by night, 
looking upon the beauties of earth and sky, so it is 
with the heart that has been opened to appreciate 
the objects brought to view in the holy Scriptures. 
Such a one finds by his own experience that the 
testimonies of the Lord are more precious than 
silver and gold ; sweeter also than honey and the 
honey-comb. 

And now admitting the advantage and necessity 
of the operations of the Holy Spirit in order to 
faith in Christ, the question arises, How can this 
help, so indispensable, be secured ? We answer, by 
the cultivation of a meek and holy spirit, and by 
earnest believing prayer. "Good and upright is 
the Lord, therefore will he teach sinners in the 
way. The meek will he guide in judgment, the 



46 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

meek will he teach his way " — ".Though the Lord- 
be high yet hath he respect unto the lowly ; but 
the proud he knoweth afar off." "Thus saith the 
high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, 
whose name is holy : I dwell in the high and holy 
place, with him also that is of a contrite and 
humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the bumble 
and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." 
All the blessings of the kingdom of Christ are 
promised to them that are meek and poor in spirit. 
He that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Even 
a Pagan philosopher once answered the question, 
" What is God doing?" by saying, "He is putting 
down the proud and exalting the lowly." For a 
beautiful exemplification of the grace we are con- 
sidering, read the prayers of Solomon recorded in 
i Kings iii : 6-9. We have quoted so many pass- 
ages on this subject in the hope of impressing your 
mind deeply with the necessity of cultivating the 
spirit of humility, if you would obtain in large 
measure the presence and power of the Holy Ghost. 
In the heart that is filled with pride and self-suffi- 
ciency there seems to be no room for the spirit of 
wisdom and revelation. " Seest thou a man wise 
in his own conceit ; there is more hope of a fool 
than of him.'' 

The sense of dependence involved in lowliness 
of mind will naturally lead to prayer to God for 
the assistance of his Holy Spirit, and this brings us 
to consider the other condition necessary to secure 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 47 

the guidance and instruction of the heavenly 
Teacher. We must seek the Spirit's operation by 
earnest believing prayer. The promises on this 
point are many, clear and specially emphatic. "Ask 
and ye shall receive. If any man lack wisdom let 
him ask of God who giveth liberally and up- 
braideth not. If ye then being evil know how to 
give good gifts unto your children how much more 
will your heavenly Feather give the Holy Spirit to 
them that ask him ! " What a gift and how simple 
the condition ! The Holy Spirit, to them that ask 
him ! Concerning this promise Luther says : 
"Though we had no motive and incentive to 
prayer except this kind and precious saying, it 
should be enough of itself." As to the importance 
of prayer for the divine influence in the under- 
standing of God's Word, we have full and decided 
testimony from eminent servants of the Lord. 
" To have prayed well is to have studied well," is a 
proverb that has become as familiar as it is true. 
Dr. Doddrige says, "The better we pray, the 
better we study." "The unction of the Spirit,' 
according to Quesnel, "is a great master in 
this science, and it is by prayer that we be- 
come his scholors." A Latin sentence declares, 
" The Holy Spirit keeps the door of the Scriptures. 
Admission is not given, unless, conscious that you 
are blind, you ask for his help." Of prayer and 
study, Bishop Sanderson says, " Omit either, and 
the other is lost labor. Prayer without study is 



48 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

presumption and study without prayer is atheism. 
You take your books in vain into your hand, if 
you turn them over and never look higher, and 
you take God's name in vain in your lips if you 
cry, * Give, Lord,' and never stir farther." Luther in 
answer to a question of Spalatin, " What is the best 
method of studying Scriptures?" said: " It is very 
certain, that we cannot attain to the understanding 
of Scripture either by study or by the intellect. Your 
first duty is to begin with prayer. Entreat the Lord 
to grant you of his great mercy the true under- 
standing of his Word . . . Hope for nothing from 
your own labors, from your own understanding ; 
trust solely in God and in the influence of his 
Spirit. Believe this on the word of a man who has 
had experience." That Luther had a most won- 
derful insight into the meaning of Scripture the 
world has long since acknowledged, and he him- 
self tells us how he came by it. And his practice 
was consistent with his advice, for we are assured 
by one who had every opportunity for knowing 
that "no day passes that he does not give three 
hours, and those the best for study, to prayer." 

This prayer for the Spirit, however, in order to be 
availing, must be offered in faith, believing that if 
we ask, we shall also receive. The Saviour says 
to his disciples, "whatsoever things ye desire when 
ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall 
have them." St. James, after having directed his 
readers to pray for wisdom, adds, "but let him pray 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 49 

in faith, nothing wavering." And of the man that 
wavers he says, "let not that man' think that he 
shall receive anything of the Lord." As every- 
thing in prayer depends upon your believing that 
God hears you, it is of the utmost importance that 
you learn to offer up this prayer of faith. To this 
end study the whole subject of prayer ; get clear 
and definite ideas as to what constitutes prayer; 
fill your mind with the many and encouraging 
promises made to it, and consider the numerous 
examples of successful prayer recorded in the Bible. 
Watch for answers to your own petitions. Prayers 
are heard, and the answers must somewhere ap- 
pear, and a little diligence will be sure to find them. 
One instance of prayer answered in your own ex- 
perience will beget a conviction as to the efficacy 
of prayer that the most persuasive arguments of the 
enemies of the truth cannot overcome. 

Learn to pray in faith, then, and when you know 
how to handle so powerful an instrument with skill 
and effectiveness, then be diligent in the use of it. 
Pray when you are perplexed, pray when you are 
burdened, pray when you are tempted of the devil ; 
under any and all circumstances it is your privilege 
to send up petitions to God for the help of his Holy 
Spirit. 

Pray at fixed times also. Unless you have your 
appointed seasons for this duty, you will not pray 
much. " Daniel kneeled upon his knees three 
times a day, and gave thanks before God." The 



50 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

Psalmist says, "Evening, morning and noon will I 
pray and cry aloud, and he shall hear my voice. " 
Go thou and do likewise. 

MEDITATION. 

By the attentive reading and study of the Bible 
and by the diligent hearing of the Word of God 
you will come into possession of many most valu- 
able facts and truths. These are from time to time 
to be called up again for further examination and 
reflection. The operation involves the steady and 
continued application of the intellect to the topic 
chosen for meditation ; a direct and attentive look- 
ing upon it ; and a revolving of it in the mind to 
afford opportunity for viewing it on all sides and 
in all its parts. The result of such a course natur- 
ally will be that the truths thus pondered over will 
be more deeply impressed upon the memory ; their 
meaning will come to light more fully ; their import- 
ance will be appreciated, and profitable trains of 
thought awakened. This though a most desirable 
result and well worthy of all the pains it costs, is 
yet not the chief and ultimate object of meditation. 
The end aimed at by this important duty is to be- 
get a prevailing spiritual frame of mind, a pre- 
dominant interest in the truths of the Bible and 
this with a view to the formation of Christian char- 
acter. Now this end is secured by serious and 
habitual meditation upon the things of God's 
Word. Christian character is the product of Chris- 
tian thought and Christian conduct. The thoughts 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 5 1 

of God as contained in the Bible must be received 
into the understanding, loved by the heart and 
reduced to practice by the will. From this prac- 
tice, continued and made habitual, character re- 
sults. Now practice depends upon conviction and 
feeling. The deeper and more abiding these are, 
the stronger and steadier will that be. And to 
profound conviction and deep feeling, meditation 
is essential. Conviction as to truth depends upon 
a full apprehension of the evidence that supports 
it ; and to realize the force of testimony it must be 
duly weighed and considered. Feeling depends 
upon the objects we contemplate and the degree of 
attention we give them. Any object of thought 
will awaken feelings corresponding in character 
to the nature of the object itself, and in intensity 
to the degree of attention given to it, the length of 
time and the freeness wdth which the object is 
permitted to exert its influence on the mind. Thus 
the majesty and excellence of God are adapted to 
awaken esteem, reverence and grateful love in the 
heart, but the longer God's grandeur, worth and 
goodness are dwelt upon the stronger will these 
feelings become. Now it is meditation that gives 
the truths of the Bible the opportunity they require 
to work conviction in the soul and to stir up the 
affections of the heart. Says John Angel James, 
" Study, is to find an unknown truth ; meditation, 
is to ponder on what is already known. The end 
of study is information; of meditation, emotion or 



52 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

practice ; study like a winter's sun gives light, but 
little heat ; meditation is like blowing up the fire 
when we want not the blaze simply, but the heat. 
In study we acquire spiritual wealth ; in medita- 
tion we enjoy its benefits." The tendency of con- 
templation to produce desire and emotion is illus- 
trated in the case of the Psalmist: "I remember 
the days of old ; I meditate on all thy works ; I 
muse on the work of thy hands ;" the result is, "I 
stretch forth my hands unto thee ; my soul thirst- 
eth after thee as a thirsty land." 

This meditation may very often be combined 
with the reading and study of the Bible; or, the 
whole time and attention may be given to the un- 
standing and fixing in the memory of the portion 
of Scripture with which we are engaged, and the 
work of meditation be left for some future time. 
Often there are leisure hours during the day that 
may be devoted to this purpose. Often the duties 
with which we are occupied are of such a nature as 
not to require the whole attention of the mind at 
all times, affording seasons for meditation. Some 
pursuits, as that of the laborer, mechanic, or 
farmer, leave the mind free much of the time to 
muse on any subject that is agreeable. Thus all 
will be able to find some time that may be given up 
to thought and reflection on religious truth. Or, if 
no other season is available, there is the holy Sab- 
bath day that may in considerable part be thus 
spent, and all can, like the Psalmist, remember 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 53 

God upon their bed, and commune with him in the 
night-watches. 

This habit of reflecting upon religious truths 
previously received into the mind, is one of inesti- 
mable importance, and one also whose value is not 
properly appreciated by most men, and in conse- 
quence is too generally neglected. Meditate upon 
the things you learn from your Bible, give yourself 
wholly to them, and verily your profiting shall 
appear to all. 

THE HOLY COMMUNION. 

That the proper use of the Lord's Supper is a 
blessing to the participant is the general impression 
and conviction of the Church, and the testimony of 
our own writings is especially clear and positive on 
this subject. Thus the 13th article of the Augsburg 
Confession declares that "the sacraments have 
been instituted as signs and evidences of the divine 
will toward us for the purpose of exciting and 
strengthening faith." And Luther says : "All the 
sacraments are instituted for the purpose of nour- 
ishing faith." And they have this effect by virtue 
of the fact that they really are only another form 
of the gospel itself. Says Luther: "The Supper is 
a promise of the remission of sins made to us by 
God ; and such a promise as has been confirmed 
by the death of his Son. . . . Now the Supper is a 
part of the gospel ; nay the very sum and com- 
pendium of the gospel. For what is the whole 
gospel but the good news of the remission of sins. 



54 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

Now all that can be said in the most ample and 
copious words concerning the remission of sins and 
the mercy of God is briefly comprehended in the 
word of the Testament." The Apology declares : 
" The word and the external signs work the same 
thing in our hearts." As Augustine well says, "The 
sacrament is a visible word ; for the external sign 
is like a picture and signifies the same thing that is 
preached by the word ; both therefore effect the 
same thing." Says Luther again : " We have al- 
ready said that side by side with the divine prom- 
ise signs also are given us, to represent by a figure 
the meaning of the words of the promise." 
" Through these two things, the word and the exter- 
nal signs, the Holy Ghost operates."— Apology. 

Now according to these extracts from Lutheran 
writings the object of the Lord's Supper is to 
awaken faith. It has this effect because it is an 
embodiment of the entire gospel in outward sensi- 
ble form. That the communion is well adapted to 
excite and strengthen the faith of the partaker will 
appear from the following considerations: 

The Holy Communion is a combination of all 
the powerful arguments, drawn from the death of 
Christ, to show that God is merciful and will pardon 
the transgressor. Christ died for us and therefore 
God loved us with a love than which there can be 
none greater ; by the death of his Son we are recon- 
ciled to God and shall therefore much more be saved 
by his life. God spared not his Son, how shall he 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 55 

not with him freely give us all things ? Now the 
Lord's Supper, as being a shewing of the Lord's 
death till he come, brings to remembrance all these 
arguments from the atonement of Christ, and casts 
their whole weight upon our faith with irresistible 
conviction. 

Again, these truths concerning the remission of 
sins through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus are pre- 
sented in outward sensible form, and it is a well- 
known fact that thought thus communicated is re- 
ceived with greater ease, delight, and distinctness, 
and consequently also with greater impressiveness 
than in any other mode. • 

All these promises, too, instead of being made to 
the world at large, are given to the individual com- 
municant; and Christian experience teaches that 
it is a great help to faith to be thus individually 
assured of God's love and mercy to us, and of our 
reconciliation with him. The sacrament, as Luther 
views it, is a direct pledge and message from God 
to the recipient. 

You thus have all the strong warm rays of the 
gospel-sun gathered together in the Holy Supper as 
in a sun-glass, and concentrated in their united 
energy upon the one heart that receives the broken 
body and the shed blood of Christ. The Com- 
munion, however, offers yet another advantage 
toward enabling the mind to believe in Jesus. All 
the circumstances connected with this sacred ordi- 
nance tend to beget a most tender and susceptible 



56 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

state of mind. You are taken to Gethsemane and 
you behold the agony of one whose sweat was as 
great drops of blood falling to the ground. You 
stand on Calvary, and out of the supernatural 
darkness there comes the cry of a heart that is 
broken: "My God, my God, why hast thou for- 
saken me?" You need not be told whose the 
agony ; whence the cry ; nor yet, on whose 
account. And as you think of all that was suffered 
then and there for your sins, your heart, if it be not 
a stone, must melt with grief. Now then, take all 
together. The powerful truths connected with the 
sacrifice of Christ; these presented in sharp out- 
line to the eye; brought home to the single indi- 
vidual ; and all this when the heart is melted by 
the contemplation of the closing scenes in the life 
of Christ, and you can readily understand that the 
Lord's Supper is a most efficient means of faith 
and well calculated as Luther has it,, "to tell 
strongly on the minds of men." You have a 
clean, sharp die applied with the strongest pres^ 
sure upon a heart made soft by the touching 
events associated with the death of the Son of God. 
With such an instrument and such conditions may 
we not reasonably hope that the image of the 
' Master should be deeply impressed upon the soul 
of the worthy communicant. 

In view, therefore, of the remarkable adaptation 
of the Communion to awaken and strengthen faith; 
we earnestly entreat you to set a high value upon 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 57 

it, and attend the same regularly and devoutly. 
Always make suitable preparation for it by earnest 
prayer and meditation. To this end avail yourself 
of the very appropriate and impressive preparatory 
service held in our churches before Communion. 
No one should fail to be present on these occasions 
unless providentially hindered. Dr. Rhodes in 
speaking of the Lord's Supper as promotive of 
growth in grace says, "Come, when opportunity 
affords, with a loving, penitent heart and a lively 
trust, to the observance of the Holy Sacrament, and 
be made a partaker of Christ's body and blood, 
with all his benefits. Spiritually eat of the body 
that was broken, and drink of the blood that was 
shed, and remember the words of your Lord : ' ex- 
cept ye eat the flesh of the son of man and drink 
his blood, ye have no life in you.' The Holy Sup- 
per is not only to bring something to your mind, 
but to your heart and life and hope. Make it an 
unveiling of the presence of Christ, and it will be 
to you what sun and shower are to the drooping 
flower." 

We have now considered what object you are to 
have before you as a beginner in the Christian life, 
and by what means you are to accomplish that 
object. The means are of divine appointment, 
and consequently cannot fail of their purpose, if 
rightly used. The word that goeth forth out of 
God's mouth shall prosper in the thing whereto it is 
sent. The Scriptures are profitable to make the man 



58 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

of God a perfect man, thoroughly furnished unto all 
good works. Use the Word of God diligently, 
wisely and prayerfully, and you will surely have 
nourishment ministered unto you, and will increase 
with the increase of God. 

That you may employ the word of divine truth 
as freely and thoroughly as is needful to the best 
results, you must learn to love it, to desire the sin- 
cere milk thereof, even as new-born babes do the 
nourishment suitable and necessary to their condi- 
tion. Before you will meditate in the law of the 
Lord day and night, you must have learned to de- 
light therein. Without a love for the Holy Scrip- 
tures, you will not give due attention and study to 
them. Like children who are constrained to eat 
what they do not relish, you will not partake very 
bountifully of the milk and meat of God's Word. 
Study, therefore, to form a taste for Scripture truth, 
to form an appetite for the bread of life. It is as 
necessary to a prosperous spiritual state as a good 
appetite for the material bread is to a healthy bod- 
ily condition. 

In order to cultivate a taste for God's Word, read 
and consider what those who appreciate the worth 
of the Bible, have said in its behalf; particularly 
the strong commendation found in the nineteenth 
and the hundred and nineteenth Psalms. 

Think long and intensely upon the objects 
God's Word sets forth and offers to you. The 
things of the Bible are exceedingly precious, and 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 59 

the more they are considered and the better they 
are known, the stronger will be the desire to pos- 
sess them. The Word of God is sweeter than 
honey and the honey-comb. Taste and see that 
the testimonies of the Lord are precious, and you 
will learn to delight yourselves in his statutes. 

Avoid all dispositions, associations and pursuits 
that tend to beget a distaste for the study of the 
Scriptures. The Word of God is spiritual in its 
character, speaking of and commending the things 
that are on high. To its enjoyment, therefore, a 
heavenly frame of mind is essential. Whatever is 
unfavorable to spirituality must be avoided. Com- 
panions that are frivolous and worldly-minded, 
pastimes and pursuits that gratify only the carnal 
mind, must be given up. 

Engage in active service in the vineyard of the 
Lord. As by sowing and reaping in the fields of 
earth you acquire an appetite for the natural bread, 
so by planting and watering and harvesting in the 
spiritual field you will acquire a relish for the 
heavenly bread. Enter, with all your heart, into 
the service of Christ in his church, and you will 
soon become hungry for the word of life. 

Open your soul by prayer and meditation to the 
influences that come down from the invisible world. 
Drink in the dews of heavenly grace ; let the sun 
of righteousness shine freely into your heart, and 
you will experience a hunger for spiritual food like 
to that which pure air and sunshine beget in the 
natural body. 



^» 



60 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

Strive, therefore, by these various means to cul- 
tivate a taste for the Word of God, and when this 
is accomplished, you will need no persuasion to 
come to the Book of life ; you will go after it as 
naturally and eagerly as the panting hart hastens 
to the water-brooks. 

But, whilst a love for the Bible may of itself suf- 
fice to hold you steadily to the reading and hear- 
ing of the Word, yet as a rational being you may 
further support your determination to use the Scrip - 
tures faithfully by considering the advantages that 
result from the growth and energy produced by a 
diligent appropriation of the bread of life. And 
first and in general, it is a fact that whatever any 
man does for his own improvement is never lost 
labor. Self-culture always pays for all it costs, in 
time, effort, and money. Charles Dickens, in an 
address at an agricultural fair, assured the farmers 
and land-holders of England that no part of their 
holding paid so well for cultivation as the small 
estate within the ring-fence of their skull. The till- 
age of their brains would secure better tillage of 
the soil, and thus result in better crops. True as 
this is, there is something that pays better yet than 
the mere improvement of the intellect; it is the 
acquisition of the graces and virtues that constitute 
the Christian character, the cultivation of the entire 
man — body, soul and spirit. 

But, to speak more specifically, spiritual growth 
involving increased spiritual power, is necessary to 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 6 1 

enable us to resist and overcome the spiritual ene- 
mies that are going about seeking our destruction. 
An inspired apostle earnestly admonishes Chris- 
tians to be strong in the Lord, that they may be 
able* to stand against the wiles of the devil. We 
are living in an enemy's country, and must fight 
for our life ; and the strength of Christian manhood 
is needful that we may not fall in the evil day. 

Again, the strength we thus develop makes us 
capable of rendering greater service to our fel- 
low-men. Christ assures us that we shall have 
the poor with us always, and whenever we will we 
may do them good. What he said of the poor is 
true, also of the weak; there will always be such 
in the world and strong men consequently are 
needed to help their infirmities. And what is 
more glorious than to be able to render needed 
service to men for whom Christ died ! 

The strength you are directed to acquire, is need- 
ful also to enable you to discharge with comfort 
and efficiency the duties that devolve upon you. 
Strength of any kind gives delight in the exercise 
of it. The man of great physical vitality takes 
pleasure in bodily exertion, the man of strong 
intellect delights in mental effort; so too a man 
well fed upon the meat of God's Word will 
find enjoyment in the performance of religious 
duty. Upon the other hand, when life is 
feeble the slightest effort is a burden. Dr. H.tll 
counsels friends not to disturb dying persons with 



62 FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 

questions, giving as a reason that even the little 
effort required to jay yes, or no, is painful to them. 
Surely, therefore, the Christian who starves his 
spiritual life is not in a condition to find much de- 
light in doing the will of his heavenly Father. 
And what keeps a Christian from finding satisfac- 
tion in God's service will also render him ineffi- 
cient in the same. Christian duty demands the 
best energies any one is capable of putting forth, 
and a half-famished man surely is not the one 
to achieve great things in the Kingdom of God. 

Make a strong man of yourself, therefore, if you 
would not remain idle nor unfruitful in the service 
of your Master. To be thoroughly furnished unto 
all good works, you must first become a perfect 
man. 

But beside these considerations drawn from pres- 
ent circumstances and duties, there are others aris- 
ing out of the nature of the heavenly life. 

And, first, you are destined for high and noble 
companionship hereafter — for the society of the 
spirits of just men made perfect, and of the holy 
angels that excel in strength. You want to make 
yourself worthy of the circle into which you are to 
be admitted, and therefore you must needs culti- 
vate, to the highest extent possible, all the graces 
and excellencies that adorn the Christian charac- 
ter. Seek, then, to become meet for the inherit- 
ance of the saints that dwell in light. 

You are, likewise, destined to an exalted posi- 



FOOD FOR THE HEAVENLY WAY. 63 

tion in the heavenly world that will demand the 
very virtues and powers you are here set to acquire 
and cultivate. Whatever notions men may enter- 
tain respecting the employments of heaven, you 
can set it down as a settled fact that there will be 
something for every one to do, and that of so high 
a character as to tax his noblest faculties, and call 
into play his greatest energies. 

Again, your real worth, your spiritual attain- 
ments, will determine your place in the future 
world ; and that place will be pleasant, honorable, 
and profitable, in proportion to your fitness to fill it. 
There are no influences of friends there that will 
prevail to put any man higher than his real merit 
deserves. There the best men will hold the best 
places. " Press toward the mark for the prize of 
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

In view of all these considerations we recom- 
mend in conclusion for your imitation, the earnest 
spirit and purpose respecting the Bible manifested 
in the following incident : " At a missionary prayer- 
meeting in Mangaia, after the whole Bible had 
been received in their own language, an aged dis- 
ciple, in rising to address the people, said : ' I have 
often spoken to you from a text out of other parts 
of the Bible which we had ; but this is the first time 
we have seen the book of Job in our own language. 
It is a new book to us. When I received my Bible, 
I never slept until I had finished this new book of 
Job. I read it all. Oh, what joy I felt in the won- 



